Jerry Garcia was born in the wild in 2004 and captured by the BLM when he was about three months old. He was given to me by some dear friends up here who I met when I offered to work at their rescue ranch just to have some time outside with horses again. I grew up around horses and hadn’t had any in my life since I was a teen.
They named their mustang rescue ranch Jerry’s place after their favorite, the strawberry roan with a parrot lip and a personality everyone fell in love with. I would always ask them when they were going to sell me Jerry, but knew they were planningn on keeping him forever. They had Jerry for 3-4 years before one day when I was down visiting them with friends they announced that they would give me Jerry. I hadn’t worked for them in about a year and couldn’t believe the offer. I felt like I was dreaming and it seemed too good to be true. The gift of Jerry has changed my life. He is more than a horse or a pet, he is a friend and I LOVE him so much.
I’ve had Jerry now for just over a year now. For the first year I was out at the stables five days a week spending time training him and working with him. My friends at the ranch had already done a great job with the ground work though and getting him ready for a rider. He had only been ridden three times though and the second time bucked the person off.
I’ve been patiently working with him using natural horsemanship techniques. He’s incredibly smart and a quick learner. It’s been a huge learning experience for me. I had a trainer come and help me work with tying and trailer loading but the rest I have been doing on my own. You have to be very creative with a horse as smart as this. Trying to get him to understand what I want him to do is pretty much the only barrier since he is so willing. I know if he’s not doing what I want, I’m just not asking in a way that makes sense to him. Through body language and energy level I’m able to communicate with him and am still learning new ways to convey concepts to him. Getting impatient or frustrated never ever works to get results. Being a flight animal and very sensitive to energy he will shut off the thinking side of his brain with anything other than gentle patience and you can see him start to get frustrated and confused.
It’s always a thrill when I’m able to get him to understand a new concept and once he gets it he doesn’t forget. It’s like it clicks in his brain and he understands what I want from him and is willing to do that. Now I go out three to five days a week. It’s harder in the winter with the snow and mud, but I always enjoy seeing him, letting him out, brushing him, feeding him, working on some training or bonding, and just being around him. It’s very theraputic. I’ve ridden him many times in the round pen and in an arena but haven’t taken him out on the trail yet. He bucked me off once when I started him cantering and luckily my horse trainer friend was with me to get right back on him (don’t want him to get away with ending a session like that). Since then I’ve cantered him again with good results. He’s still getting used to a bit, and I’m training him to be sensitive to body weight and touches more than using the bit to control him.
Every time the weather is good now I’m dreaming about the day I get to ride him out on the trail. I’m excited but need to spend more hours with him under saddle so that he can fully understand what I’m asking from him before putting him into a new situation. Until then I take him out for hikes and ride in the enclosed areas.
